Imagine a straight drop into a vertical loop, followed by a double inversion cobra roll, zero-G roll, vertical loop and a corkscrew. Now imagine as you twist and turn, a 1,200-watt sound system plays Led Zepplin's 1969 hit song "Whole Lotta Love."
Your dreams will become reality next year. Some of you all may have remembered when I first detailed in a blog post in July the new signature Led Zepplin roller coaster in Myrtle Beach at the new 140 acre Hard Rock Theme Park. Yesterday, they had a public unveiling of the roller coaster and ran the coaster not with live people (although, I am sure they would have found some volunteers), but with some water ballast dummies.
Water ballast dummies are the state of the art for testing amusement park rides. They simulate body weight and shape during all types of testing, including, braking, acceleration, seat belt, and seat abrasion.
These dummies simulate an average size, which is 5’-10” & 175 lbs. Before these fancy water dummies were used, roller coaster testing meant loading up the coaster with sandbags and trying to strap them in without breaking your back or the sandbags.
Now, you can place the dummy in the ride, fill it with water, screw on the cap, adjust the restraints, and you are ready to go. And if you get thirsty during the testing, you can always sneak some out of the dummy.
- Coaster pictures provided by Pixel Pics
- Water Dummy picture from Frost Products, the leader in water ballast dummies
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